Fabric positioning and sewing apparatus



Feb. 1, 1966 Filed MaICh l5, 1963 R, l. BUCK/ALTER 3,232,256

FABRIC POSITIONING AND SEWING APPARATUS 8 Sheets-Sheet 1 FCA/. 2

Feb, l, 1966 R. l. BUCKALTER 3,232,256

FABRIC POSITIONING AND SEWING APPARATUS Filed March l5, 1963 8 Sheets-Sheet 2 g @L a, gm M S U T A R A P. D.. A RG N mm Lw A (D IHN CA um BI |..N .m RT I S O P. C T. P1. B A F Feb. 1l, W6

INVENTOR. #055/97 I, 50c/#1L 715/? 3 .t e m 0 S L e e h S 8 Filed March l5, 1963 Feb.. I, H966 R. l. BUCKALTER FABRIC POSITIONNG AND SEWING APPARATUS Filed March 15, 1963 8 Sheets-Sheet 4.

| I I I INVENTOR. 55562 5MM/4475 Feb l 1966 R. l. BUCKALTER 3,232,256

FABRIC POSITIONING AND SEWING APPARATUS Filed March l5, 19655 8 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR Pakr I. Bach/M 75E Feb. 1, 1966 R. i. BUCKALTER FABRIC POSITIONING AND SEWING APPARATUS 8 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed March l5, 1965 INVENTOR. ,6055er z 5am/41.76A

Feb l, 1966 R. 1. BUCKALTER 3,232,256

FABRIC POSITIONING AND SEWING APPARATUS Filed March 15, 1963 8 Sheets-Sheet 7 y F/G. /5

INVENTOR. F0559?" I. 50c/fm TER Feb. l, 1966 R, 1 BUCKALTER 3,232,256

FABRIC POSITIONING AND SEWING APPARATUS nited States Patent O 3,232,256 FABREC EOSITHUNING ANR) iEWENG APPARATUS Robert I. liuekalter, Norwalk, Conn., assigner to Master Sew Control Corp., New York, NKY., a corporation of New Yori;

Filed Mar. i5, 1963, Ser. No. 265,427 Ciaims. (Cl. 112-2) This invention relates to the art of fabric positioning and sewing apparatus, and more particularly to apparatus for forming handkerehiefs, or the like rectangular fabric items having the edges thereof hemstitched.

In the handkerchief making industry, bolts of cloth slightly wider than the width of the desired handkerchief to be formed are fed through sewing machines which hemstitch the opposite edges of the bolt of cloth. Thereafter the bolt is cut to provide a plurality of rectangles of desired configuration, usually a square, such as is utilized in forming a handkerchief. These cut rectangular pieces of cloth, with two opposite sides thereof hemstitched, are conventionally manually fed by an operator to a hemstitehing sewing machine first to hem one of the unfinished edges of the rectangle and thereafter to hem the other unfinished edge, with the corners being finished by a trimmer. Such operation is extremely time-consuming due to the handling involved and in addition the fabric often becomes dirty due to such excessive handling. Where the rectangular piece of fabric which is stretchable and wrinkleable, is automatically fed to a sewing machine first to have one of the unfinished edges sewn and then to another sewing machine to have the other unfinished edge sewn, and the rectangular piece of fabric is not properly positioned with respect to such sewing machines due to wrinkles in or bunching of such fabric, improper stitching or sewing of such unfinished edges will result. Additionally, since four edges, adjacent ones of which are perpendicular to each other must be formed, the positioning problem is extremely difficult.

It is accordingly among the primary objects of this invention to provide improved handkerchief making apparatus, in which the necessary sewing steps are performed substantially automatically in desired sequence, with no handling.

Another object of the invention is to provide improved handkerchief making apparatus minimizing the required care of the apparatus by a sewing machine operator.

A further object of the invention is to provide handkerchief making apparatus in which the edge of the cloth to be sewn into a handkerchief is automatically positioned with respect to a hemstitehing sewing machine.

It is also an object of the invention to provide improved means for automatically feeding cloth to be sewn into handkerchiefs through a hemstitehing sewing machine without the cloth being hunched or stretched to provide desired uniformity of the finished article and to minimize rejects.

Another object of the invention is to provide means automatically trimming an edge to be hemmed prior to feeding of the cloth to a hemstitehing machine.

A further object of the invention is to provide means for automatically cutting the stitch forming thread after the hem is sewn.

Another object is to provide means automatically trimming the end of the sewn hem to finish the corners of the formed handkerchief.

According to the invention, these and other objects of the invention, which will be made hereafter more apparent are achieved by provision of an endless belt conveyer over which rectangular, preferably square pieces o-f cloth are adapted to be fed. The pieces of cloth to be formed into a handkerchief are cut from a bolt having its two rice opposed edges previously hemstitched. These pieces of cloth are positioned on the conveyer belt with the previously hemstitched edges arranged transversely to the direction of movement of the belt. Mounted over the belt for movement in the same direction and at the same speed as the belt, for a limited distance, are edge positioning means. The edge positioning means include a carriage movably mounted above the belt. Supported by the carriage is a pusher bar for movement against the cloth on the conveyer. Vertical movement means supported by the positioning means carriage are coupled to the pusher bar for forcing it down against the cloth; and front and rear lateral shift means are mounted by the positioning carriage for moving either the front or rear of the pusher bar a limited distance determined by the amount of reorientation required of the piece of cloth to insure that the passage of the oriented edge of the cloth through the hemstitehing sewing machine will provide a straight hem in desired relationship to the previously formed hems. The degree of movement of the pusher har affected by the lateral shift means is limited by sensing means, preferably in the form of electric eyes which respond to the presence of the cloth at a desired locus. In order to eliminate the possibility of a convexity or belly in the edge of the cloth due to inaccurate cutting of the rectangle of cloth from the bolt, a cutter knife is positioned adjacent the edge of the moving conveyer belt to shear off any part of the cloth extending beyond the line between the limiting positions of the front and rear lateral shift means. The oriented and trimmed piece of cloth on the conveyer belt is then fed beneath a hold-down serving to smooth the cloth on the conveyer belt and maintain same in desired position while the cloth is fed through the hemstitehing sewing machine. A further straightener is arranged above the belt to insure that the cloth will lie smoothly against the belt surface, and the piece of cloth which now has three of its sides hemstitched is fed past a trimmer comb which cuts off the chain of stitches produced by the hemmer sew-ing machine. The conveyer belt then feeds the cloth to second positioning means serving to orient the unsewn edge of the cloth with respect to a second hemstitehing machine. Similar hold-down, trimming, and tail cutting operations as previously described are performed.

An important feature of the invention resides in the fact that a single unsewn edge of the cloth to be formed into a handkerchief is oriented at a time, thus minimizing the factors to be considered were both unsewn edges hemmed simultaneously.

Another feature of the invention resides in the novel hold-down employed for maintaining the square of cloth in desired position with respect to the sewing machine heads so as to insure desired smoothening of the cloth without exerting any disruptive forces thereon.

In the accompanying drawings in which is shown a preferred embodiment of the several features of the invention, as applied to the making of handkerchiefs,

FIG. l is a schematic perspective view looking down on the novel automatic handkerchief making equipment,

FIG. 1a is a schematic flow chart illustrating the varions positions of the cloth as it is being fabricated into a handkerchief by the equipment shown in FIG. 1,

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic perspective illustration of the drive trains for the various components of the handkerchief making apparatus shown in FIG. l,

FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view, with parts broken away, of the positioning means employed for orienting each edge of the cloth to insure its proper feeding by the conveyer with respect to the hemstitehing sewing machine, the right edge positioning means seen to the left in FIG. l being shown,

FIG. 4 is a partial perspective vicw, with parts broken away, ot' the hold-down mechanism employed for insuring smooth feeding olt the cloth along the conveyer beit, the hold-down shown to the left in FIG. 1 being shown,

FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross sectional view through the positioning mechanism showing the pusher bar, and the mechanism actuating the pusher bar to engage the cloth and orient it in desired position,

FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view taken on line 6-6 of FIG. 5, showing the details of the cam mechanism for ciiecting movencnt of the rocker arm acting on the pusher bar to move it up and down, showing the latch and stop mounted for use of the positioning mechanism on the left edge of the cloth as viewed in FIG. l,

FIG. 7 is an enlarged detail view through the pneumatic head of the hold-down mechanism shown in FIG. 4,

FIG. 8 is an elevational View of the belly trimming cloth cutter in elevation,

FIG. 9 is a top plan view looking down at the cloth cutter of FIG. S showing the vacuum waste removal,

FIG. 10 is an end view of the cloth cutter of FIGS. 8 and 9,

FIG. ll is a schematic view of the speedup mechanism employed for increasing the speed of the sewing machine at the beginning of the sewing operation to insure desired cloth tension along the line of stitching during hem formation,

FIG. l2 is a top plan view of the speedup mechanism shown in FIG. 11,

FIG. 13 is a partial detail perspective View of the improved hemming foot applied to the sewing machine,

FIG. 14 is a partial detail perspective view of the thread trimming combs employed for severing the chain of stitches produced by the sewing machine at the end of a formed hem,

FIG. l5 is a top plan view of the hem tail cutter employed for trimming the ends of the hems formed on the handkerchief,

FIG. 16 is an elevational view of the hem tail cutter of FIG. taken on a cross section on line 14-14 of FIG. l5,

FIG. 17 is a schematic circuit diagram of the control circuit regulating the action of the positioning mechanism,

FIG. 1S is a schematic circuit diagram showing the control for the speedup mechanism of the sewing machine, and

FIG. 19 is a schematic circuit diagram of the control circuit for energizing the hem tail cutting knife.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, like numerals in the various figures will be employed to designate like parts.

As shown in the drawings, the novel handkerchief forming apparatus 1t) comprises a conveyer belt 15, of the endless conveyer type, trained to ride over idler end roller 16 and driven roller 1'7 (see FIG. 2). A supporting table 18, appropriately supported in conventional fashion is arranged beneath the top surface of the belt 15 between end rollers 16 and 17.

Slidably mounted over the conveyer belt 15 for movement along the direction of movement of the belt are two edge positioning devices 25, as best shown in FIGS. 1, 3, 5 and 6. A right edge device is rst shown to the left in FIG. 1, and a second left edge device, identical to right edge device, but having its components arranged to engage the left edge of the cloth, is positioned further along the belt. Edge positioning device is formed with a boxlike housing carriage 26 (see FIGS. 3 and 5). A pusher bar 27 is supported on vertically movable plungers 2S and 29. Hold down feet are secured to the pusher bar at spaced distances therealong. Plunger 28 is at the front of the bar 27 (as viewed in FIG. 3), while plunger 29 is at the rear of the bar 27. Both front plunger 28 and rear plunger 29 are secured respectively' to a front rocker arm 31, and a rear rocker arm 32. (It will be understood that the adjectives front and rear are here d. employed with reference to FIG. 3.) Rocker arms 31 and 32 arc pivoted respectively at their centers ou pivots 33 and 34 respectively. At thc end o1" the rocker arms 3i and 32, on the side or" their pivots opposite to that to which plungers 23 and 29 are secured, a coupling har 37 of a box-like configuration is mounted.

Secured to coupling bar 37 at approximately the center thereof between front and rear rocker arms 31 and 32 is a rollei type cam follower 4t) movable along the cam surfaces 42 of tixed cam plate 41 supported on table 1S at the side of belt 15. Upward biasing spring 45, as best shown in FIG. 5, is extended between spring anchoring pin 46 in the top wall of carriage 26 and spring anchor' 47 secured to coupling bar 37. Spring 45 biases coupling'l bar 37 upwardly to constrain cam follower 40 to bear against the upper cam surface 42 of cam 41.

A latch 50, as best shown in FIG. 6, is pivotally se" cured to pivot bracket 51 on carriage 26 for engagement with the support bracket 53 of cam follower 40 t0 maintain same in a downward position away from upper cam surface 42 during engagement of the latch 50 with bracket 53.

A latch spring S5 is extended between spring anchoring pin 56 on latch 50 which is in line with the pivot point of the latch. The other end of spring is anchored to carriage mounted spring anchoring bracket 57 at a point in line with the pivot point of bracket 5t). As a result of this in line positioning of the spring anchoring points with respect to the pivot point of the latch 50, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art (from a consideration of FIG. 6) that a dead center position prevails when the spring 55 is oriented to extend in line with the latch pivot point, which condition prevails when the latch is in a neutral orientation. However, should the latch be moved to either side of the neutral, to the left as viewed in FIG. 6, the latch 5t) will be tripped to move upwardly to a limiting position shown in dot-dash at the right in FIG. 6. Secured to fixed cam plate 41 is a stop block 60 adjustably positioned by means of screws 61 to engage latch 50 and move same to a position against roller cam bracket 53 when the roller cam is in its lowest position, at the end of the movement of the positioning means. A latch release including roller 66 secured on adjustably positioned release bar 67 is similarly secured to fixed cam plate 41 at the point on the cam plate adjacent the beginning of the movement of the positioning means 25.

As shown in FIG. 6, latch release 65 engages the latch 50 to trip same out of engagement with roller cam 4t) at the commencement of movement of the positioning device 25.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that movement of the positioning device housing carriage 26 along tracks 70 may readily be accomplished by means of Vertical support roller 71 arranged to ride on upper ange 72 of track 70 while aligning roller 73 serves to align the positioning device 25 with respect to track 70, as best shown in FIG. 5. As a result of the movement of positioning device 25, cam roller 4t) will move to the left as viewed in FIG. 6 to ride upwardly along the upper cam surface 42 of cam plate 41, free of latch 5t) and urged upwardly by spring 55. At the end ofthe movement of the roller cam 413 along the cam surface, stop 6i) will move latch S0 into engagement with the roller cam bracket S3 as shown in phantom to the left in FIG. 6 to effect engagement between the latch 5@ and the roller cam 4t). Thereafter, upon return of the housing carriage 26 of positioning device 25 to the position shown in solid line in FIG. 6, the roller 40 will he maintained in a downward position, pivoting the rocker arm 31 to displace the pusher bar 2'7 upwardly from the material.

Lateral shifting of the pusher bar 27 to effect desired orientation of the cloth on the conveyor belt 1S is obtained by means of lateral shift piston assembly as.

best shown in FIGS. 3 and 5. Piston assembly 80 comprises u tixcd outer housing sleeve 81 of a cylindrical configuration provided with a slot 82 in the upper surface thereof. Extending through slot 82 for longitudinal movement therein is rack 33 coupled to inner cylinder 84 for movement therewith. Inner cylinder 84 moves telescopically within outer sleeve 81 and is coupled at one end to pusher bar 27. Outer cylinder sleeve 81 is flxedly supported with respect to carriage 26 by bracket arms 85 welded or otherwise secured to the sleeve 81 and coupled via bolt 86 to the top of housing carriage 26. The coupling of inner cylinder 84 to pusher bar 27 is accomplished as best shown in FIGS. 3 and 5 by means of bracket 90 containing slide bushings 91 which slidably accommodate vertically reciprocating plungers 28. Spring 92 mounted between the upper and lower arms of bracket 90 and has its lower end fixed by means of collar 93 to punger 23 and its upper end secured to the upper arm of bracket 90 so as to provide a cushioned coupling between the plunger 28 and the lateral shift piston assembly S0.

Within inner cylinder 84, an override spring 95 bears against a plug 96 closing olf one end of inner cylinder 84 and a collar 97 secured to piston 98. Piston 98 is slidably mounted for movement within inner cylinder 84 by means of piston bushings 100, arranged at spaced intervals within inner cylinder 84. One end of piston 98 extends outwardly through a preferably sealed end 101 of inner cylinder 34. Secured to the free end of piston 98 is a bracket 105 supporting following roller 106 for iovement in S track 107.

The S track as best shown in FIG. 3, engages the roller 106 so that upon movement of the carriage 26 along tracks 70, the piston will be moved to the left as shown in FIG. 3.

The movement of the piston 98, though fixed by the contours of the S track 107, does not produce the same amount of movement in pusher bar 27. This is accomplished by means of electric brake 125 of a conventional type which limits the possible rotation of pinion 126 in engagement with the rack 83. So long as the brake 125 is not energized, pinion 126 is free to rotate. However, upon energization of brake 125', pinion 126 is maintained in a fixed position, thus preventing movement of rack 83 secured to inner cylinder 84, which is in turn connected to pusher bar 27. Since the rack 83 cannot move, it will he understood that pusher 27 can no longer move, notwithstanding the fact that piston rod 98 is still being moved by the motion of the roller 106 along the S track 107. respect to the outer housing 81 is accommodated by means of override spring 95. It is of course apparent that S track 107 is fixedly mounted with cam plate 41 on table 18 as best shown in FIG. 5.

When the rocker arm 31 has been lifted by the movement of; cam follower 40 to a lower part of cam surface 42, the pusher bar 27 will be lifted from conta-ct with the cloth. At this time the brake 125 is de-energized permitting override spring 95 to extend, moving the pusher bar to its limiting outward position. This movement of pusher bar 27 when it is in the raised position is guided by means of plunger roller 127 mounted on bracket 123, riding on slideway 129 at the end of rocker arm 31, as best shown in FIG. 5.

Supported on edge positioning carriage housing 26 are sensing means, preferably in the form of electric eyes. An actuating eye 130 is supported at the front of the carriage to sense the reflection of light from a black line on the conveyor 15. Adjustably supported on bracket 131 which may be moved by means of adjusting screw 1.32 having knurled knob 133 extending outwardly from the housing as viewed to the left in FIG. 6, are forward and rear orienting eyes 137 and 13S respectively arranged adjacent the path of movement of the front and rear The additional movement of the piston 98 with t5 pusher bars as viewed in FIG. 3 to control movement o pusher bar 27, as will bc hereinafter described.

Movement of the carriage 26 along the conveyor is effected by means of carriage driving arm 140 as best shown in FIG. l. It will bc noted that a corresponding drive arm 140 is located on the opposite side of the belt 15 (see FIG. 2). Driving arm 140 is pivoted at its lower end at 141 for movement against cam 143. Cam 143 is cccentrically mounted on driven shaft 144 to engage pin 145 on arm 140. Arm 140 is of a channel shaped configuration engaging a pin 147, extending outwardly from the housing 26. Spring biases pusher arm 140 against eccentric cam 143.

An air hose is coupled to front nozzle 161 and rear nozzle 162 to direct air downwardly on the edge of a piece of cloth to be positioned.

Arranged above conveyer belt 15, downstream of the positioning device 25 (with respect to the ow of material along the conveyer belt) is a hold down 175.

Hold down 175, as best shown in FIGS. l and 4 comprises an endless belt 176, trained to ride over idler rollers 177, 178 and 179 arranged respectively at the upper two corners of the belt which is trained along a trapezoidal path of travel, while idler roller 179 is at one of the lower corners of the path of travel. At the opposite lower corner of the path of travel of the belt 176 a static eliminating assembly 180 is provided, as best shown to the lower right in FIG. 4. Static eliminating assembly 180 comprises an electrically conductive brush 181, the bristles of which are arranged in surface contact with the belt 176. Brush 181 is electrically connected to the chassis of the equipment which is grounded in conventional fashion. Brush 131 is formed with a return bend arm 182 supporting belt idler rolls 183 and 184. The static eliminator assembly 180 is supported by pivot link 185 pivotally anchored at 186 to the front wall of the hold down supporting framework 190.

Hold down supporting framework 190 is formed with a box-like frame 191 having a front wall 192 which rotatably supports the spindles of the idler rolls 177, 178 and 179. Box frame 191 is secured to angle bars 193 andv 194- which extend downwardly between pivot plates 196:

and 197 respectively as shown at the lower portion of FIG. 4. Pivot plates 196 and 197 are preferably consti tuted by the upstanding legs of an angle bar, the shorter leg of which is adapted for securement to table 18 in. conventional fashion by means of rivets, screws or the like fastening members 199. Pivot plates 196 and 197 are formed with arcuate slots 200 having a seating notch 201 at one end thereof. Extending into this arcuate slot 200 is a slide pin 202 secured to uprights 193 and 194. The lower end of uprights 193 and 194 may be pivoted at their lower ends to pivot plates 196 and 197, but such pivoting is not necessary as will be made hereinafter mor apparent.

A plenum weight assembly 215, as best shown in FIGS. 4 and 7 is supported over the lower flight of idler belt 176 by means of supporting arms 216 and 217 secured to box frame 191. Supported by the arms 216 and 217 is a plenum chamber 220 having a screen 221 at the bottom surface thereof and substantially closed on the sides and top wall thereof. Air hose 223 is coupled by a connector 224 to air supply duct 225. A suction duct 226, as shown in FIGS. l and 4 is similarly connected to plenum chamber 220. A weight bar 230 is preferably arranged over the top surface of plenum chamber 220,y and adjustable mounting plates 231 are employed for securing the plenum assembly to the supporting arms- During normal operations, the hold down is oriented as. illustrated in solid lines in FIG. 4 with air flow directedi into the plenum chamber via duct 22S to depress belt 176 against the top surface of belt 15 as viewed in FIG. 7. When adjustment is desired, the suction duct 226 istv energized, while duct 225 is shut and the entire assembly is lifted to release pin 202 from notch 201 permitting movement of the assembly to the dot-dash line orientation shown in FIG. 4. At this time it is preferable to reverse the direction of air flow into the plenum chamber so as to create a vacuum in the plenum chamber 220 thereby preventing disturbance of the surface of belt by the movement of belt 176 laterally thereof.

Mounted on table 18 across from hold down 175 is a hcmstitcliing sewing machine 200 as shown in FlG. l. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the description of the formation of a right hem, prior to the formation of a left hem is not to be taken as a limitation, since obviously one skilled in the art may readily reverse the process to form a left hem prior to the formation of the right hem. In the formation of a right hem as the rst handkerchief forming step, a sewing machine of conventional type such, for example, as the Union Special machine is provided with a hemstitching attachment as illustrated in FIG. 13. This attachment comprises a presser foot 250 formed with a needle aperture 251 permitting he passage therethrough of a needle 252 of conventional type. rThe foot 250 is provided with an elongated pickup tine 254 having an entry tip 255. A ramp tine 258 is spaced from pickup tine 254 to form a guiding slot 259. At the end of the guiding slot 259 a hem forming curler 260 is secured serving to fold the cloth passing along ramp tine 258 over pickup tine 254 prior to its contact by needle 252. Dogs 261 and 262 are arranged to contact the underside of pickup tine 254 to feed the material therealong. It is found that a length of between one and oneeighth and one and one-quarter inches are required for these tines 254 and 258, in order to effect desired automatic hemming operation.

Mounted in line -with the Ipath of travel of the cloth square into the foot 250 are speedup controlling sensing means 275 (see FIGS. l, 13 and 18) here shown in the form of an electric eye which will be -hereinafter more fully described.

Mounted upstream (o-f the path of travel of the cloth square to be formed into handkercbiefs along belt 15) is a continuously operating belly trimming cutter 280 as best shown in FIGS. 1, 8, 9 and 10. Cutter 280 is employed to eliminate any undesired convexity or belly in the` rectangle o-f cloth to be hemmed. The cutter 280 is provided with a circular knife blade 281 mounted over :table 18 Iand aligned with the des-ired edge of the rectangle of cloth 'as positioned by the positoning device 25. It will be understood that this desired positioning of the edge of the cloth is slightly beyond the line of travel of the stitches formed by needle 252 so that the material necessary to form the hem will be provided. Knife 281 is driven by motor 282 via transmission 283 in conventional fashion. A supporting bracket 285 secured to table 18 supports the cutter 280. A vacuum nozzle 290 is sur ported on table 18 immediately adjacent the downstream end of cutter 281, and the nozzle 290 is coupled to a vacuum source so yas to pick up any material cut by the cutter 281 from the handkerchief.

Mounted downstream of the henrstitching sewing machine, over belt 15 is a straightener assembly 300, as best shown in FIGS. 1 and l4. straightener assembly 300 includes a plurali-ty of spaced spreader discs 301, 302, 303, 304 and 305. Spreader discs 301-305 are mounted on supporting arms which `are adjustably secured to bracket 307 extending transversely of belt 15 as best viewed in FIG. l. Spreader rolls 301-305 rest loosely on the surface of belt 15 and by virtue of the spaced contacts with the handkerchief carried by the belt, serve to straighten the handkerchief on the surface of belt 15 as will be understood by those skilled in the art. A cross bar 310 on arm 307, as best shown in FIG. l, pivotally supports `friction rolls 311 and 312 over which edge guide belt 313 is trained. Belt 313 friotionally contacts belt 15 or any handkerchief supported on belt 15 so that the edge of the handkerchief beneath friction belt 313 is positively guided in its movements beneath the belt 313.

Adjacent friction belt 313, at the side of belt 15 is a thread trimmer assembly 325, as best shown in FIGS. 1 and 14. Trimmer assembly 325 comprises a pair of relat-ively laterally reciprocating sets of shearing teeth 326 and 327 of the type conventionally encountered on harbors trimmers. These tee-th 326 and 327 are mounted beneath aperture 328 formed in table 18, as best shown iu FIG. 14. A suction duct 330 is arranged beneath teeth 326 and 327 to pick up any material cut by the trimmer teeth and a blower nozzle 332 is arranged above table 18 above teeth 326 and 327 to deflect the trimmed thread downwardly betwen the relatively reciprocating sets of teeth.

A tail knife assembly 350 is arranged adjacent friction belt 313 at the side of belt 15 so as to cut off any tail of material remaining after a given hem has been formed. In forming the hem on the handkerchief, a tail T as best shown in FIG. 15 often results at the corner of a piece of cloth being formed into the handkerchief, and as is apparent, it is desirable to remove this tail T. This is accomplished in the herein disclosed embodiment of the invention by providing a tail cutter 350, as best shown in FIGS. l, 15 and 16, arranged downstream o-f the trimmer 325. Thus, as the piece of cloth being carried by conveyer belt 1'5 is fed from the he-mstitching sewing machine, the chain of thread is first cut by trimmer 325, and thereafter the hemmed edge is fed past tail cutter 350. Tail cutter 350 comprises knife 351, pivoted on the end of first class lever 352 which is mounted on pivot 353. The opposite end of lever 352 is arranged for coupling to the armature of solenoid 354. The armature of solenoid 354 is normally in a downward position as shown in FIG. 16. Upon energization of the solenoid 354, the armature 355 is drawn upwardly causing knife blade 351 to move downwardly again-st the tail T to sever same. Energization of the solenoid 354 is accomplished by arranging the sensing device in the form of a tail sensing electric eye 360 mounted over the path of travel of the handkerchief so as to energize the solenoid when the handkerchief has passed beneath the electric eye.

As will be apparent from a consideration of FIG. 1, it will be observed that a right hand positioning device 25 has been described, arranged adjacent the infeed end of conveyer 15, along with an associated hold down 175, belly cutter 280, -thread trimmer 325, and right hand hemming machine 200, including right hand hemming foot 250. An identical series of components arranged to form the left hand hem of the handkerchief is arranged on the downstream of the conveyor as viewed in FIG. l.

The operation of these components is coordinated by means of drive mechanism illustrated in FIG. 2. AS shown in FIG. 2, a drive -motor 400 is coupled by appropriate belts and pulleys through `an electric clutch 401 and transmission 402 to conveyor drive roll 17 which has been previously described as `arranged at the downstream or outfeed end of the conveyer as shown in FIG. l. Extending from electric 'clutch 401 is main drive shaft 405, the [rotation of which is controlled by elec-tric brake 406 arranged on the left hand side of the apparatus as shown in FIGS. l and 2.

The drive to the right edge positioning means is provided by means of positioning means drive shaft 410 which is drivingly coupled by a transmission train 411, belts 412 and 413, bevel gear box 414 and belts 415 and 416 to main drive shaft 405. Arranged at the right hand end of edge positioning device driven shaft 144 is an edge control cycle switch cam 420, and a positioning device drive cam 143. Cam y143, as -previously described, contacts cam follower pin 145 on drive arm 140. A single revolution clutch 425 couples edge positioning drive shaft 410 to driven shaft 144. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the single revolution clutch, though shown schematically in FIG. 2 as two members may be incorporated into a single unitary housing. Carriage actuating switch cam 426 along with a second drive cam 143 are larranged on the left hand side of shaft 410 as viewed in FIG. 2.

Driven simultaneously with left hand position-ing device 25, is a right hand positioning device located downstream as shown in FIG. 1. This secondary drive is coordinated with the above-described drive by means of belts 433, 434 coupled to bevel gear box 414. as is apparent from the aforedescribed drive train, it will be understood that the positioning carriages are driven subject to the actuation -of single revolution clutches on the edge positioning drive shafts.

The hemstitching sewing machines 209 are driven by a drive belt 450 (the right hand hemstitcher here being described), which is coupled by a universal joint 451 to main drive shaft 405 through speed control mec anism 455 as shown in greater detail in FIGS. 11 and 12. Speed control mechanism 455 includes a yoke 46d pivota'lly mounted on base 461 and rotatably supporting three wedge shaped rolls 462, 463 and 464. Center roll 463 `is loosely mounted for lateral shifting on roll shaft 465 as best shown in FIG. 12. Yoke 460 is coupled by a connecting rod 467 to bell crank lever 468 supporting cam following roller 469 in contact With speed-up cam 47d. Driving belt 471 extends between center roll 463, side roll 464 and main drive shaft 405. while driven belt 472 extends between center roll 463 and roll 462. A-s will be apparent from a consideration Iof the drawings, movement .of yoke 460 to the left as viewed in the drawings W-ill cause driving belt 471 to move downwardly along the wedge surfaces between center roll 463 and roll 464 thus reducing the effective diameter of rolls 463 and 464 with respect to belt 471 land hence increasing the diametra-l ratios between drive shaft 495 and shaft 465 which increases the speed of rotation of roll shaft 46S, assuming that shaft 405 continues to rota-te at the .same speed. This increase in Speed is further magnified `by virtue of the fact that driven belt 472 rides up .along the wedge lsurfaces between center roll 463 and outer roll 462, thus effectively increasing the diametral ratio bctween `shaft 465 and the shaft containing the universal joint 451 as shown in FIG. 1. This increase in speed is initiated in order to insure proper tensioning ofthe material as the hem is being started. It is found -that if the sewing machine pulls with a limited tension on the material as the hem is being formed, any tendency of bunching between stitches is eliminated, as will become herein after more apparent.

Control of the operation of the .aforedcscribed cornponents is attained by means of appropriate control circuitry such as .shown schematically in block diagram in FIGS. 17, 18 and 19.

Thus, operation of the edge positioning means 25 is initiated by the sensing means in the form of electric eyes 130. Edge positioning actuating electric eye 130, as previously noted, is Ialigned with a black strip on the conveyer surface. When a handkerchief: is placed on the conveyer, the light reected from the lack strip` become considerably more intense due to the relatively light color of the handkerchief, usually white. This retiected light energizes electric eye 130 to produce a signal (see FIG. 17). This reflected iight energizes electric eye 131i to produce a signal that energizes single revolution clutch solenoid 533 in the following manner. Switch 532 is normally `open and is lclosed by the action of the raised lobe of cam 426 which occurs when carriage 25 is at its ini-tial position. Switch 531 is normally open and is closed by contact with the raised lobe yof cam 426. When the edge control carriage 26 is in its normal start position, cam 426 is in such position as to operate switch 532 and close its contacts. When eye 130 receives a white .signal and edge control carriage 26 is in its initial start position, `the clutch solenoid 533 is energized and single revolution clutch 425, 425 turns cam 426, which resets the relays eli) in relay control box 534 for the next cycle. The relay control box 534 contains `two latching relays plus a power relay that requires the electric eye 139 to sec black before White so that actuating eye 13() will not be energized unless definitely separate pieces of cloth are present on the conveyor. Thus, when thc electric eye 130 detects the presence of piece of cloth on the conveyer belt 15, if the carriage 26 is in its initial position and if eye 139 has iirst seen black, solenoid 533 is energized causing engagement ofthe clutch plates of single revolution clutch 425, 425 to permit the edge positioning carriage 26 to be driven by driving arms 140. Clutch 425, 42S' effects operative engagement between drive shaft 410 and driven shafts 144, 144 during only a single cycle of rotation of the cam 426, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

Control of the operation of the edge positioning pusher bar 27 `is accomplished by means of electric eyes 137 and 138 respectively. control cam 426 is rotated as the result of the rotation of shaft 144. Upon rotation of cam 421i, normally open switch 541i is closed during the cycle of contact of the high portion of cam 420 with the switch arm as vshown schematically in FIG. 17. When switch 5431 is closed, the action of electric eyes 137 and 138 is brought into play by permitting coupling ofthe circuits of the electric eyes 137, 133 with the electric brakes 125. A black band is arranged on the table 18 adjacent the edge of the conveyor belt, and the reflection of light from the black band is perceived by the electric eyes 137 Aand 13S.

When the edge positioning carriage 26 beings to move, the pusher har 27 will be depressed against the cloth sensed by the actuating eye 130 due `to the rocking of arm 131 produced by cam plate 41 (see yFIG. 3). As the pusher bar 27 contacts the cloth, the movement of roller 106 in S track 107 shifts the pusher bar 27 laterally. This lateral shift is limited by the electric brakes 125. When forward eye 1.3? senses the presence of cloth beneath it, electric brake 125 controlling the front part of bushcr bar 127 is energized limiting movement of the front part of the pusher bar. Similarly, when rear eye 138 senses the presence of cloth beneath it, the signal output of the rear eye is transmitted via its amplifier to the rear electric brake stopping the motion of the rear of the pusher bar 27.

Control of the operation of the speedup mechanism is accomplished as indicated in FIG. 18. Here an electric eye 275, as shown arranged adjacent the path of travel of the cloth upstream of the hemstitchng sewing machines 20S is provided. When electric eye 275, which also is arranged to normally scan a black area, senses the presence of a lighter surface beneath it such as would be produced by the presence of a piece of cloth covering the black line, the speedup mechanism 45S is actuated. This is accomplished, as shown schematically in FIG. 18, by feeding the signal of the electric eye 275 to solenoid 479 which energizes single revolution clutch 480 to impart rotation to cam 470, as shown in FIG. 2. The rotation of cam 470 produces the speedup heretofore described. Clutch 430 is a single revolution type and is reset through relay control 481 by the closing of normally open contacts of switch 485 actuated by the raised lobe of cam 470.

Control of operation of the tail cutter 350 is similarly accomplished by means of an electric eye 360 as best shown in FIGS. 16 and 19 which is amplifier coupled to solenoid 354 to effect desired operation of the cutting knife 351, as heretofore described.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that a single description has been given of positioning device 25, hold down 175, belly cutter 280, and tail cutter 350. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention each of these components Will, however, be duplicated, since the invention is intended for use for forming two opposed hems on a piece of cloth.

In use, a conveyer belt is set up of a span suicient to accommodate all of the aforedescribed components in an arrangement which is illustrated schematically in FIG. l. Adequate spacing between the components is of course provided to permit the cloth to pass between the operative components without the action of one component on the cloth interfering with the operation of another component. The conveycr belt 15 is formed with a black line extending longitudinally along its length aligned with an electric eye 13G at the front of each positioning carriage. Similarly, a black line is formed at thc side of the conveyer belt on table 18. The electric eyes utilized as sensing means are provided with their own light source, the output of which is intended to be retiected back to the sensing eye. In the described arrangement, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that where the light emitted by the associated electric eye strikes the black surface, the amount of reflection will be considerably less than when a lighter surface such as produced by the cloth of a handkerchief or the like is passed over the black surface.

Squares of cloth to be formed into handkerchiefs are preferably cut from bolts of cloth which have their opposed edges hemmed. Thus, a square of cloth having two opposed hemmed edges is provided which requires the hemrning of the other two opposed edges prior to the formation of the handkerchief. This may be most readily accomplished by utilization of the herein disclosed equipment. The square of cloth is positioned on the conveyer belt 15 with the previously hemmed edges arranged transversely to the path of travel of the conveyer belt. When the leading edge of the cloth passes beneath actuating electric eye 130, the light reected from the surface of the relatively light cloth will energize the circuit shown schematically to the right in FIG. 17. Upon energization of this circuit, the carriage 26 of positioning device 25 will be driven by means of driving arm 140 to move along the path of travel of the conveyer belt. The speed of movement of carriage 26 is equal to the speed of movement of the belt. This coordination of speeds of movement is accomplished by utilizing appropriate gear and belt ratios in the drive mechanism shown in FIG. 2 plus correct cam configuration. As positioning carriage 26 moves along with the cloth on the belt, cam follower roll 40 moves along cam surface 42 in fixed cam plate 41, as best shown in FIG. 3. This movement of the cam follower roll 40 is constrained against the top surface 42 of the cam plate 41 by means of spring 45, which levers rocker arm 31 to depress pusher bar 27 down against the surface of the cloth as best shown in FIG. 5. As the pusher bar 27 contacts the cloth, the movement of roll 106 in S track 107 laterally shifts the pusher bar, to the right as shown at the left in FIG. 1. This lateral shifting is limited by electric eyes 137 and 138. As previously noted, electric eyes 137 and 138 are arranged to sense the reflection from a black surface on table 18. When the handkerchief cloth is forced by the pusher bar 27 to a position beneath the electric eyes 137, 138, the intensity of light sensed by these electric eyes generates a signal which in turn is employed to energize brakes 125. Energization of brakes 125 immediately stops the movement of pusher bar 27 until the cam follower 4t) has moved the pusher bar out of contact with the cloth. At this time it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the cloth is oriented in desired position to permit hemming.

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, a belly cutting knife 250 is provided to insure desired linearity of the edge of the cloth to be formed into a hem. Since the cutting of the cloth from the bolt often produces a convexity or belly which would produce an undesired bulkiness in the hem, the passage of this edge to be hemmed beneath the knife blade 281, as best shown in FIGS. 8-10, will result in a trimming of any undesired excess of material. The material trimmed is sucked into vacuum conduit 290 as best shown in FIG. 9.

The trimmed and oriented cloth is then fed beneath hold down 190 as best seen in FIGS. 1 and 4, and simultancously engaged by the feed dogs of the hemstitching sewing machine.

As the edge to be hemmed approaches the hemstitching sewing machine, speedup electric eye 275 senses the presence of the cloth and cnergzes the speedup to increase the rate of operation of the sewing machine so as to insure formation of a smooth hem in the fashion heretofore described.

Speedup control electric eye 275 positioned in the path of travel downstream of the belly cutter 280, as best shown in FIG. 1, senses the approach of a handkerchief to the sewing machine 260. As a result of this sensing, solenoid 479 energized as indicated in FIG. 18 to actuate single revolution clutch 480 (see FIG. 2) to drive speedup control cam 470. The rotation of cam 470 effects a speedup of operation of the sewing machine 260 via the linkage 455. Simultaneously with the speedup of the sewingy `inacl'tine Zitti, the leading edge of the handkerchief to be hemmed approaches entry tip 25S of pickup tine 254 of the hoinming machine pressure foot 250 as shown in FIG. 13. The feed dogs 261 and 252 which, as previously described, have been increased in length over that conventionally found on a hemstitching sewing machine and have engaged the leading edge of the cloth and since the sewing machine is operating at a speed producing a relatively faster rate of movement of the cloth through the machine than is normally provided by the movement of the cloth on the conveyer belt 15, a slight tension will be produced in the edge of the cloth as it is being fed through the sewing machine 200. Curler 260 brings the free positioned edge of the cloth up over itself, whence it is engaged beneath tine 254 oy the reciprocation of needle 252 which forms the desired hemstitch immediately beneath the end of the tines 254 and 25S as viewed in FG. 13.

As the hemmed edge of cloth leaves the sewing machine, while it is still being held down by friction belt 313, the thread forming the chain of stitches, which is as is apparent relatively lighter in weight than the cloth itself, is blown down between trimmer comb teeth 326 and 327 severed from its source in the sewing machine.

In its passage beneath the edge guide belt 313 the formed hem moves beneath electric eye 360 controlling the operation of tail cutter 350. It will be noted that electric eye 360 which normally scans a black area adjacent to belt 15 is aligned with the belt at a point on the handkerchief `beyond the line of the hem, as best shown in FIG. 16. Thus, electric eye 360 senses the normally desired end of the handkerchief. In order to insure that the hem does not extend beyond this normally desired end, the electric eye is arranged in the circuit to energize the solenoid 354 to move cutting knife 351 so that it chops otf any tail of a hem in substantial alignment with the dcsired end of the handkerchief.

During the passage of the handkerchief past the belly knife 28), and the sewing machine 200, it is securely held in position with respect to the conveyer belt by means of hold down 175, operating as aforedescribed, and as best shown in FIG. 1. As is understood by those skilled in the art, any static electricity accumulating on the surface of the belt 176 is eliminated by means of static electric eliminator 180 as best shown in FIG. 4. As previously described, idler belt 175 of hold down 175 is maintained in contact with the cloth on belt 15 by means of the air pressure built up in plenum chamber 270 and weight 230. During periods of required adjustment, the hold down assembly 175 may be removed from contact with the belt in the fashion previously described and illustrated in FIG. 4.

After one previously unhemmed edge of the cloth has been sewn as described, the cloth continues its movement from the tail cutter 35E? associated with the rst sewing machine 2%0 and the above-described sequencee of operation is reinstituted with respect to a duplicate set of components shown downstream with respect to conveyer belt l5. Thus, a second edge positioning device, this time oriented to position the left hand edge of the cloth as viewed in the drawings is arranged to engage the cloth and position its edge along a desired line of travel. The conveyer belt l5 then carries the cloth along to permit duplicates of the aforedescribedequipment to effect hemming of the opposite edge in the sequence described.

lt will be seen from the above disclosure, that an integrated synchronized continuous apparatus has been provided serving to automatically hemstitch a rectangle of cloth to form a desired article of manufacture such as a handkerchief or the like. The apparatus as described is intended for use in heming opposite edges ot' a rectangle of cloth, but it will he apparent to those skilled in the art that by employing the teachings of the instant invention, as many edges of the cloth as are desired, may be hemmed, sewn or otherwise stitched.

As many changes could be made in the above construction, and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope of the claims, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. Equipment for forming hemstitched rectangular articles of manufacture such as tablecloths and handkerchiefs having at least one unhemmed edge, said equipment comprising conveyer ymeans having a surface upon which a rectangle of cloth geometrically similar to the Shape of that of the desired article of manufacture may be placed, positioning means mounted over said conveyer means adapted to engage an unhemmed edge of the cloth to position same in an orientation such that the unhemmed edge of the cloth extends slightly beyond the edge of the conveyer means, means to drive said positioning means independently of the movement of said cloth by said conveyer means, hemstitching means arranged in the path of travel of the unhemmed edge of cloth, said hemstitching means being oriented to extend along the edge of the conveyer means and hold down means cooperating with said conveyer means to engage the cloth placed on the conveyer means while the hemstitching means operates upon said cloth.

2. Equipment as in claim 1 in which speedup means are associated with said hemstitching means to increase the relative speed of the edge of the cloth to be hemmed through the hemstitching means with respect to that portion of the cioth held down on the conveyer means, whereby a slight tensioning of the sewn portion of the cloth will be produced to eliminate bunching of the hemmed portion.

3. Equipment as in claim 1 in which belly cutting means are arranged between said positioning means and said hemstitching means along the path of travel of the oriented edge of the cloth to cut off any convexity of the cloth along its edge to be stitched.

4. Equipment as in claim 1 in which tail cutting means are arranged adjacent the conveyer means downstream of the hemstitching means, said tail cutting means adapted to sever the cloth at the desired end of a hemstitched edge to provide a finished effect.

5. Equipment as in claim 1 in which said hold down means comprise idler means movable over the top surface of said conveyer means, at the same rate of speed as said conveyer means to sandwich the cloth placed on said conveyer means and maintain same in a secure position.

6. Handkerchief making means comprising conveyer means on which a rectangle of cloth hemmed on two sides thereof is adapted to be placed with the hemmed sides of the cloth extending transverse to the direction of travel of the conveyer means, edge positioning means Cit reciprocably mounted over said conveyer means for movement therealong, said edge positioning means being adapted to engage a right hand unhemmed edge of the cloth to orient same to a position extending over the edge of said conveyer means, hemstitching means in thc path of travel of the oriented edge of the cloth extending over the edge of the conveyer means, said hemstitching means being adapted to engage the oriented edge of the cloth and forming a hem therein, hold down means cooperating with said conveyer means to hold the cloth in desired position on the conveyer means as the cloth is fed through the hemstitching means, left edge positioning means reciprocably mounted over said conveyer means, said left edge positioning means being adapted to engage said cloth to orient the left unhemmed edge thereof .in a lposition extending over the left edge of the convey-er means, hemstitching means positioned adjalcent the left edge of the conveyer means adapted to engage the oriented left edge of the cloth to form a hem, .and hold down means positioned over said conveyer means opposite said last named hemstitching means adapted to engage the cloth to maintain Same in secure position on said conveyer means as the cloth is fed through said last named hemstitching means.

7. A method for forming handkerchiefs, said method comprising the steps of cutting a rectangle of cloth slightly larger in area than that of the desired handkerchief to be formed with a shape geometrically similar to that of the handkerchief, the difference in area between the cut piece of cloth and the handkerchief being equal to that which will be taken up in the formation of desired hems, lplacing the cut piece of cloth on a conveyer belt, clamping the piece of cloth and then effecting movement of the cloth so that an edge thereof to be hemmed extends over the side of the conveyer belt, releasing the clamping means whiie feeding the positioned edge of cloth on the conveyer belt through a hemstitching sewing machine while simultaneously holding down the cloth on the conveyer belt as it is being fed through the hemstitching sewing machine, and cut-: Y ting the thread of the sewing machine as the hemmedi. edge of cloth leaves the machine. t

8. A method as in claim 7 in which a cutting step ist `performed on the positioned edge of the cloth prior to'. the step of feeding the cloth through a hemstitching.` machine, said cutting step being performed by feeding.V the positioned edge of cloth past cutting means arranged.` adjacent the path of travel of the edge of positioned cloth extending over the edge of the conveyer belt before the'i leading edge of the positioned cloth reaches the hem-- stitching sewing machine, said cutting means trimming any convexity in the positioned edge of the cloth.

9. A method for forming a rectangular segment ofl cloth with hemstitched edges such as a tablecloth and: han kerchief, said method comprising the steps of cutting from a bolt of cloth having opposite edges hem-f stitched, rectangles of cloth geometrically similar in shape to that of the desired finished product, placing the cut pieces of cloth on a conveyer belt with opposedf hemstitched ends thereof extending transversely to the path of travel of the conveyer belt, clamping the piece; of cloth against the conveyer belt adacent one tinhemmed edge thereof and then effecting movement ofl the cloth so that such unhemmed edge will extend over the edge of the conveyer belt, feeding the unhemmed:

positioned edge of cloth on the conveyer belt through a hemstitching sewing machine, while simultaneously hold-1 ing ldown the cloth on the conveyer belt as it is being fed through the hemstitching sewing machine, severing the thread foming the hemstitching from the sewingA machine source, then clamping the piece of cloth against? the conveyer belt adjacent the other unhemmed edge thereof and effecting movement of the cloth so that saidother unhemmed edge will extend over the opposite edge of the conveyer belt, feeding this newly positioned edge through a hemstitching sewing machine, and severing thc hemstitching threads from its source in the sewing machine, whereby all edges of the cloth carried by the conveyer belt will now be hemstitchcd.

10. l'landkerchief making apparatus comprising a convveyer belt on which a rectangle of cloth is adapted to be placed` an edge positioning carriage reciprocably mounted over said conveyer to travel thereover for a tixed limited distance, a pusher bar carried by said carriage, a mounting on said carriage supporting said pusher bar for vertical movement against said conveyer, lateral shifting means coupled to said pusher bar to effect limited lateral movement thereof, a hemstitching sewing machine aligned at a spaced distance from the edge of said conveyer belt between the edge of the conveyer belt and the limit of movement effected by said pusher bar, and a thread trimmer for severing the thread employed in effecting the hemrning of the cloth.

11. Apparatus as in claim 10 in which said mounting supporting said -pusher bar for vertical movement with respect to said carriage comprises a rocker arm pivoted as a first class lever in said carriage, one end of said lever being coupled to said pusher bar, and the other end of said lever being coupled to a cam following roller and a tixed cam plate guiding said roller to effect levering of said rocker arm upon movement of said carriage along with said conveyer belt.

12. Apparatus as in claim 10 in which said lateral shifting means comprises a piston assembly, a cam follower at one end of said piston assembly, a coupling between the other end of said piston assembly and said pusher bar, a cam xedly supported adjacent said conveyer belt, said cam effecting lateral movement of said piston assembly upon movement of said carriage, and a brake limiting the lateral movement of said piston assembly.

13. Apparatus as in claim 10 in which a hold down is provided over said conveyer belt adapted to engage any cloth positioned thereon as it is moving through said hemstitching sewing machine, said hold down comprising an idler belt, idler rollers supporting said idler belt, and an air plenum over said idler belt.

14. Handkerchief making apparatus comprising a conveyer belt on which a rectangle of cloth hemmed on two sides thereof is adapted to be placed with the hemmed sides of the cloth extending transverse to the direction of travel of the belt, right edge positioning means slidably mounted over said belt for movement therealong, a -pusher bar mounted on said positioning means adapted to move against such cloth, downward forcing means on said positioning means adapted to move said pusher bar down against the cloth on said conveyer, front lateral shift means on said positioning means shifting the front of said pusher bar laterally, rear lateral shift means on said positioning means shifting the rear of said pusher bar laterally, limiting means coupled to said front and rear lateral shift means to limit the movement of the pusher bar when it is in a downward position, an idler hold down belt above said conveyer belt adapted to maintaining the positioned cloth thereon, an air plenum chamber above said idler belt, a sewing machine having a hemmer attachment arranged adjacent the edge of said belt and adapted to engage the cloth thereon after it has been positioned and to form a hem in the oriented right hand edge of the cloth, said sewing machine arranged adjacent said hold down means, and thread cutting means adjacent said belt downstream of said sewing machine to sever the thread forming the hem.

15. Equipment for forming hemstitched rectangular articles of manufacture such as table cloths and handker- -chiefs, said equipment comprising conveyer means having a surface upon which a rectangle of cloth geometrically similar to that of the shape the desired article of manufacture may be placed, positioning means mounted over said conveyer means, said positioning means comprising carriage means reciprocably mounted to ride along with said conveyer means for a limited portion of the movement thereof, Vpusher means on said carriage means adapted to engage the cloth adjacent an unhemmed edge thereof to orient such unhemmed edge so that it extends slightly beyond the edge of the conveyer means and lateral shift means on said carriage means moving said pusher means laterally after engagement of the cloth to effect such desired orientation of the edge thereof, hemstitching means arranged in the path of travel of the unhemmed edge of cloth, said hemstitching means being oriented to extend along the edge of the conveyer means and hold down means cooperating with said conveyer means to engage the cloth placed on the conveyer means while the hemstitching means operates upon said cloth.

References Cited bythe Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,975,941 10/1934 Harrison 112-203 2,053,257 9/1936 Anderson 112-2 2,290,123 7/ 1942 Wilfong 112-203 2,296,931 9/194'2 Joa 112-2 2,332,324 10/1943 Lee et al. 112-10 2,449,044 9/1948 Anderson 112-203 2,685,307 8/1954 Visconte 112-130 2,834,307 5/1958 Jones et al. 112-2 2,848,960 8/1958 Cetrulo 112-2 2,940,404 6/1960 Damon 112-10 3,013,513 12/1961 Iudelson 112-10 3,097,733 7/1963 Frydryk.

FOREIGN PATENTS 476,194 4/ 1926 Germany.

RUSSELL C. MADER, Primary Examiner.

JORDAN FRANKLIN, Examiner. 

1. EQUIPMENT FOR FORMING HEMISTITCHED RECTANGULAR ARTICLES OF MANUFACTURE SUCH AS TABLECLOTHS AND HANDKERCHIEFS HAVING AT LEAST ONE UNHEMMED EDGE, SAID EQUIPMENT COMPRISING CONVEYER MEANS HAVING A SURFACE UPON WHICH A RECTANGLE OF CLOTH GEOMETRICALLY SIMILAR TO THE SHAPE OF THAT OF THE DESIRED ARTICLE OF MANUFACTURE MAY BE PLACED, POSITIONING MEANS MOUNTED OVER SAID CONVEYER MEANS ADAPTED TO ENGAGE AN UNHEMMED EDGE OF THE CLOTH TO POSITION SAME IN AN ORIENTATION SUCH THAT THE UNHEMMED EDGE OF THE CLOTH EXTENDS SLIGHTLY BEYOND THE EDGE OF THE CONVEYER MEANS, MEANS TO DRIVE SAID POSITIONING MEANS INDEPENDENTLY OF THE MOVEMENT OF SAID CLOTH BY SAID CONVEYER MEANS, HEMSTITCHING MEANS ARRANGED IN THE PATH OF TRAVEL OF THE UNHEMMED EDGE OF CLOTH, SAID HEMSTITCHING MEANS BEING ORIENTED TO EXTEND ALONG THE EDGE OF THE CONVEYER MEANS AND HOLD DOWN MEANS COOPERATING WITH SAID CONVEYER MEANS TO ENGAGE THE CLOTH PLACED ON THE CONVEYER MEANS WHILE THE HEMSTITCHING MEANS OPERATES UPON SAID CLOTH. 